Life after Mwai Kibaki: Where have all his power men disappeared to?

Mwai Kibaki addresses a press conference in Nairobi on December 29, 2002 after the chairman of Kenya’s electoral commission announced him as the country’s new president. Photo/File 

By WASHINGTON AKUMU The EastAfrican

In Summary

• The majority of men and women who shaped former president Mwai Kibaki’s 10-year administration have fallen by the wayside as a new crop of political deal makers begin to take positions around President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

When Francis Kimemia was sworn in as Secretary to the Cabinet on June 3, he was making a first as far as the ongoing transition from the Kibaki administration goes.

He is the only influential Kibaki era stalwart who has so far landed a powerful docket in the new Uhuru Kenyatta administration.

The majority of men and women who shaped former president Mwai Kibaki’s 10-year administration have fallen by the wayside as a new crop of political deal makers begin to take positions around President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

While some like Francis Muthaura opted for retirement, others have died; some are currently lobbying for appointments and a few have landed plum jobs outside the government bureaucracy. The latter include Mukhisa Kituyi, a trade guru said to have been close to the administration, tipped to be joining a key UN body on trade — Unctad as its head.

Increasingly, the ring of powerbrokers in President Kenyatta’s administration are beginning to take shape, with his nephew Jomo Gecaga, emerging as a key player.

Mr Gecaga, who has for long been Kenyatta’s personal assistant, is the new Chief of Staff and Private Secretary to the President who will be based at State House. Lawrence Lenayapa is also expected to emerge as a key figure in the administration in his position as the State House Comptroller.

Inner circle

Mr Lenayapa started off as a district commissioner serving in several parts of the country.

Kibaki’s power men and women joined his inner circle through two or three key routes: As members of the wealthy Central Kenya elite (often derisively referred to as old Kikuyu money or the Mount Kenya Mafia) that used to bankroll and advise his original party DP (the DP Council of Elders); long-time friends from the Muthaiga Golf Club; and professionals who got to the table through their perceived expertise in certain areas, especially during his campaigns.

They operated largely outside the public domain, but their influence during Kibaki’s decade-long reign is said to have been immense. They were part of a small coterie of men and women the former president bestowed the utmost trust in.

To their credit, analysts argue, the Kibaki presidency was able to survive trying times especially the post-2002 falling out with his coalition partners as well as the bungled 2007 elections and its violent aftermath. In equal measure, they are also blamed for some of the regime’s biggest mistakes and gaffes. 

Adjusting

And now, with the curtains having come down on Kibaki’s tenure last month, they have to get used to life outside the inner sanctums of power. By most accounts, most will not have problems adjusting.

Interviews with those close to the Kibaki administration show that while death has snatched away key people from Kibaki’s circles of close friends — John Michuki, George Saitoti and Njenga Karume — most others have lost favour with the new administration. Their exit was foretold after they were seen to have favoured a Raila Odinga presidency.

Others have been crafting their return to the corridors of power. Eddy Njoroge, the managing director at the power firm KenGen, in November said he would retire at the end of this month